Jamil BarneyBasketball
Kadena, Okinawa
Last week:
Became the first high school player to be voted Most Valuable Player in the the Martin Luther King Invitational Tournament for military teams. The 18-team event was staged for the 14th time at the Foster Field House at Okinawa’s Camp Foster Jan 17-22.
Barney, a junior, averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds in seven games. Kadena went 3-2 in pool play and became just the third high school team to qualify for the double-elimination playoffs. The Panthers lost there 71-68 to eventual champion Camp Humphreys and led Yongsan Garrison by nine points before losing 78-60.
“I was just hoping for All-Tournament,” coach Robert Bliss said of Barney, calling his MVP selection an “unbelievable” accomplishment. “He carried a lot of the load. He played a great tournament.”
Jamie CheniaultBasketball
Daegu American, South Korea
Last week:
Averaged 14.3 points per game in the Warriors’ three wins, two on a trip to Seoul. Daegu ran its winning streak to six games after an 0-4 start in the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference’s Division I season.
Cheniault, a sophomore, scored 12 points in Daegu’s 47-25 home win Jan. 16 over Korea International. Two days later, Cheniault recorded her first career triple-double — 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals — in a 52-30 win at Yongsan International-Seoul. On Saturday, she posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals as Daegu won at Korea International 47-17.
“Jamie is a quality young lady in all aspects,” coach Michelle Chandler said. “She is a team player and willing to play any position when told. She’s stepping up to the challenges in each game, and she is a pleasure to coach.”
— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff